The present invention pertains to releasable clips, and particularly to a clip used to retain elongate articles such as fishing line or the like. Such a clip may be used to retain fishing line used trolling multiple fishing lines from a fishing boat.
When fishing lines are used behind a boat during trolling, the lines have a tendency to move to a path of least resistance, typically directly behind the moving boat. When use of multiple lines is desired, this tendency may create difficulties due to entanglement of the lines drifting together behind the boat. Planer boards are typically used to enable baits to be pulled through the water at locations away from the side of the boat. Planer boards operate to help guide fishing lines laterally outward from the boat, to allow the fisher to utilize more than one line, and to reduce the chance of line entanglement. A fisher may employ several planer boards on either side of the boat and at various distances from the boat to maximize the area being fished.
Generally, a fishing line attaches to a planer board at two points, including a forward tow point and a rearward strike point attached to a baited fishing line. The present clip may be used at such attachment points.
Known clips may have several problems. First, they are often difficult to use or cumbersome to use, particularly when used for fishing with a planer board. The user must reel in the line, the board, and the hooked fish all while the board continues to move across the water. The user may be hindered in quickly removing the board from the line to reel in the fish. This may cause lost fish. Moreover, typical clips may not adequately secure a line. This may cause lost fish or boards. This can be costly and is inefficient.